Fluid drive for motorcycles



Sept. 8, 1942. w. v. MAZE FLUID DRIVE FOR MOTORCYCLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 26, 1940 :Iwucwfo'o WIiZ/mm V Maze P 1942- w. v. MAZE 2,294,994

FLUID DRIVE FOR MOTORCYCLES Filed Sept. 26, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 8, 1942 Fem nnrvn FOR MOTORCYCLES William V. Maze, Anderson, Ind., assignor to 0.15. Miller Manufacturing Corporation, Anderson,

Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application September 26, 1940, Serial No. 358,568 1 Claim. (Cl. 60-54) This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fluid drive for motorcycles."

The primary object of the invention is to provide a fluid drive for motorcycles wherein a motor, preferably an internal combustion engine is mounted upon the frame of a motorcycle and operatively engaged with the front wheel of the motorcycle through the medium of a fluid operated transmission mechanism to increase flexibility of the driving connections between the engine and front wheel of the motorcycle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a front wheel drive for motorcycles wherein a fluid operated transmission device is interposed between the motor and the axle carrying the front wheel and including a housing struc-' ture journalled on the shaft of the motor and operatively engaged with the axle of the front wheel with an impeller element flxed to the motor shaft within the housing structure and cooperating with the latter to effect rotation thereof.

With the above and other objects in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an outer side elevational view of the housing for the fluid drive connection between the motor and front wheel of a motorcycle;

Figure 2 is an inner side elevational view of the housing showing the sprocket wheel associated therewith, while the crank shaft of .the motor upon which the housing is mounted is shown in section;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing the fluid drive mechanism within the housing;

Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view vanes carried by the inner wall of the rotatable housing;

Figure 5 is a side elevaticnal view of the impeller element disconnected from the motor shaft and removed from the housing;

Figure 6 is an inner face view of the impeller element showing the radial vanes carried thereby; and

Figure. 7 is a schematical elevational view showing the motor; fluid driveandsprocket chain connection between the fluid drive and the axle of the front wheel of the motorcycle.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawings and particular to Figure 7, the fluid drive for motorcycles comprises a motor I0, preferably mounted upon the forward part of the frame structure of a motorcycle, the motor I0 preferably being in the form of an 10 internal combustion engine that has its crank shaft ll communicating with a fluid drive device designated in general by the reference character l2, the fluid drive device having a sprocket chain connection I3.with the axle ll that carries the front wheel ii of the motorcycle.

disposed stepped bearing portions I1, 18 and IS,

a ball bearing race 20 being interposed between the bearing portion l1 and crank shaft II, a leak-proof packing 2| being interposed between the stepped bearing portion l8 and .the crank shaft while the stepped bearing portion l9 has a direct bearing on said crank shaft as illustrated in Figure 3. The outer side of the fluid drive housing includes an outer side wall 22 carrying a laterally directed annular wall 23 at its peripheral edge that has an interfitting leak-proof connection-24 with the adjacent face of the inner side wall of the housing at the peripheral edge.

thereof. The crank shaft ll of the motor ll extends axially into the fluid drive housing, the

outer side wall 22 being laterally offset as at 25 in an outward direction to provide a seat for a ball bearing race 26 in which the end of the crank shaft H is seated. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a plurality of radially disposed vanes 21, preferably of the formation shown inFigure 3 project inwardly from the inner faces of the outer side wall 22 and the annularwall 23 and constitute a part of the fluid drive devices.

A fluid impeller is carried by the crank shaft ll within the fluid drive housing and, as shown taken on line 4,'4 of Figure 3, showing radial in Figures 3, 5 and 6, includes a bearing hub 28 keyed as at 23 upon the crank shaft II, the hub 28 carrying a disk wall 30 at the end thereof adjacent the inner side wall l6 of the fluid drive housing while the peripheral edge of the disk wall 30 carries an ancuate annular flange 3| extending laterally from the disk wall in a direction toward the outer side wall 2201! the fluid drive housing. A plurality of radial vanes 32 are carthe annular flange iii, the adjacent edges of the vanes 21 and vanes as being disposed in relative- 1y close relation As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a sprocket wheel 83 has the hub 34 thereof keyed as at 35 upon the outer side of the stepped bearing portion 19, the sprocket chain it passing over the sprocket wheel 33 also traversing the sprocket wheel on the axle H to which the trout wheel 85 of the motor cycle-is fixed.

The fluid drive housing is charged with a desired quantity of on or other iluid and upon rotation of the crank shaft ii under influence of the internal combustion engine it, the impeller that is fixed to the crank shaft within the fluid drive housing is rotated, the fluid in the housing forming a clutch or transmission drive connection between the impeller and housing through the medium of the co-acting vanes 32 and 27 producing rotation of the housing upon the crank shaft ll 7 and corresponding rotation of the sprocket wheel 33 keyed to said housing, the chain drive l3 from the sprocket wheel 3! to the axl l4 effecting rotation oi the front wheel I5 of the motorcycle. The fluid drive between the crank shaft il and iront wheel of the motorcycle provides a flexible cotionior a smoother and more even drive or the mo.

While there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment oi the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that'minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

In a fluid drive or the character described, a motor having a crank shalt, fluid drive mechanism associated with the crank shaft and including a housing structure journalled on the crank shaft, an impeller fixed to the crank shalt within the housing structure and cooperating with the housing structure to efiect rotation thereof, an elongated bearing extending axially and laterally o1 the housing at one side thereoi. a shorter bearing disposed axially and laterally or the housing at the other side thereof, the shorter bearing being journalled on the crank shaft within the housing structure, the elongated bearing being journalled on a' lateral flange carried by said impeller and said elongated bearing being stepped inwardly toward its end remote from the housing structure and adapted to have a driven element secured to said remote end.

. WILLIAM V. HAZE. 

